Temescal (19-7) advanced to a second-round matchup Tuesday at the Cerritos Gahr, a 3-1 first-round winner Friday over Garden Grove.

Trimble struck out seven and walked two in what he said was the first no-hitter ever in his life, “even back to Little League.” He not only spotted his fastball, but worked his change-up well and offered an occasional biting curve that kept the Spartans guessing.

“The past three starts, I’ve been in a rhythm,” said Trimble, who’s struck out 30 in his last four outings, all complete games. “I’ve been able to pound the strike zone and come back at any point in the count with the change-up, and that’s been key.”

San Gorgonio (21-4) sent two batters over the minimum against Trimble, a senior who is headed next year to the 49ers, also known by their unofficial name of the Dirtbags.

“He’s just gotten better and better each outing since we played Heritage (four games ago),” Temescal Canyon coach Patrick O’Grady said. “He’s kind of peaking at the right time.”

In lowering his ERA to 1.17 and improving to 7-2, Trimble allowed just one runner to second base and took advantage of strong defense, particularly in the sixth and seventh innings.

Both leadoff men walked in those innings for the Spartans, but one was erased on an interference call in the sixth, an the other in the seventh on a double play started by Trimble and turned by shortstop Tyler Pritchard.

That was huge for a pitcher who was admittedly thinking of the no-no.

“It was in my head the whole time,” Trimble said. “When we got into the fifth, it really started to get real.”

For a while, San Gorgonio and its own standout starter, junior Hazahel Quijada, stayed with the Titans. Quijada also had sharp off-speed stuff, but Temescal hitters worked the counts and drew five walks.

That helped chase the lefty after five innings, with Temescal leading 3-0. Quijada struck out seven and allowed five hits and two earned runs.

The Titans then broke things open, thanks in part to – who else? – Trimble, whose two-run double in the sixth inning paced a five-run uprising.

“We worked all week on just being prepared,” O’Grady said. “I’m real proud of the guys.”

Friday marked the second consecutive first-round shutout for the Spartans, who entered the game with 10 wins in their previous 11 games.

“We didn’t hit well,” San Gorgonio coach Bill Eatinger said. “We’re not a great come-from-behind team. Usually, we can win by jumping on someone with a run, and when we didn’t, it changed the whole complexity of the game for us.”

Join the conversation

We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful
conversations about issues in our community. Although we do not pre-screen comments,
we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful,
threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent
or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law,
regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.